ABSTRACT
This chapter describes corruption in Turkey in an historical context and examines the country's overall corruption profile. The results of several international indices and national surveys underscore the pervasiveness of corruption in the country. By presenting a more detailed country analysis, the chapter assesses the legal framework and the institutional structure with regard to the fight against corruption in Turkey. This analysis highlights two features of the Turkish political and administrative system: "strong state and weak institutions" and "lack of administrative coordination". These two factors are mostly shaped by the paternalistic mode of governance inherited from the Ottoman Empire and early Republican era. Yet, these factors, to a great extent, persist today and limit success of good governance reforms. Turkey's real challenge in fighting corruption has been to create strong institutions vis-a-vis the state and eliminate vested interests embedded in old structures, while keeping the policy co-ordination.
